One More for the Ever Growing List
by societysnerd
Summary: There's a new man in Maura's life and Jane can't take it anymore. Will she run? Or will she confront her best friend head on, tell her that she loves her? And what will Maura do?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Rizzoli and Isles.**

* * *

**One More for the Ever Growing List**

Chapter 1

Maura was at a loss. She'd barely seen her best friend in the last three months and whenever they did get together, it was always work-related. Granted, she wasn't exactly blameless in the whole situation but still, she missed Jane. Her best friend always had the ability to calm her, soothe her, make her feel safe and secure, warm and loved; wanted. She put her head in her hands feeling a headache coming on. Ever since Christoph, her life had become one mistake after another, the first and foremost being her failure to tell her best friend she'd been dating him for the past month and a half. It was not that she didn't want to tell her but rather, she didn't know how. The relationship between them had been very new at the time and they'd only gone out on four dates with each other. In Jane's book, that was four dates too many...

_Jane threw open the doors of BPD running on pure adrenaline after having had a successful run catching a perp. Sure, her head hurt from where he'd slammed her against the wall after taking her by surprise in an alleyway and she had a black eye from the subsequent punch he'd delivered as well as a sore wrist from the punch she'd given him back, but hey, they got the guy! That was what mattered. _

_As she pressed the elevator button to go down and visit her best friend, perhaps even celebrate a little, she couldn't help but notice an extremely well-dressed man standing at the front desk looking clearly at a loss. In fact, scratch that. This guy was rich, from the hat he wore on his head, to the tailored blue suit that adorned his body, to the shiny brown sharp angled shoes on his feet. His long woolen trench coat was draped over his shoulders and he appeared to be pleading with the officer behind the desk._

_"Please, officer. I assure you I have an appointment to see Dr Isles. If you'd just try and call again..."_

_Curiosity__ getting the best of her, she approached the desk. _

_"What's the problem here, Browning?"_

_The officer gulped. If he'd been unable to handle the situation before, he definitely felt totally out of his depth now. After all, this was Jane Rizzoli; hero cop who'd shot herself just over a year ago to take down one of their own who'd gone bad. He realised he'd held silence for too long because now she was just staring at him pointedly, a mask of impatience apparent._

_"I err...I. This man wishes to see Dr Isles," he squeaked._

_"Okay..." _

_"He says he has an appointment Ma'am." She cringed inwardly at the formal term. God, she felt old. "But Dr Isles isn't picking up her phone and he's terribly insistent..."_

_"Well, then, it's just as well you're going my way then isn't it?" she said, swiftly cutting him off. She gave the man before her a cursory glance satisfied that he wasn't a threat before covering it quickly, smiling. He looked relieved._

_"Thank you," he said, tone grateful. _

_She turned her attention back to the officer. _

_"Don't worry, he's with me," she said, making her way back over to the elevators. "Oh. And don't ever call me Ma'am again. Everyone either calls me Rizzoli or Detective. If I wanted to become my mother..." she said cringing at the thought. The elevator dinged, alerting the two to its arrival and the nodding of the officer was sufficient enough for Jane to be satisfied she'd gotten her point across. They stepped in, standing side by side, as she pressed the button. Seconds later, the hallway to the morgue appeared and the man made a gesture as if to say ladies first. The brunette resisted the urge to roll her eyes before stepping out. Walking down the hallway, she saw the blonde inside the autopsy suite, taking off her gloves and her eyes lit up. She opened the door, holding it briefly for him._

_"Hey, Maur. I found someone upstairs looking for..." but the sentence died away as she watched the man walk past her, sweeping the honey blonde up before planting a very passionate kiss on her lips. And she knew from then on, she was doomed. Doomed because it was obvious that this person was more than an acquaintance, doomed because she knew she was screwed in every way in trying to keep her own feelings for the blonde under control and doomed because whatever the two of them were, it was apparent that this person loved her; unconditionally and wholeheartedly, in much the same way, Jane did. And then she was angry. Because, despite her feelings, despite how much she was in love with Maura, she'd always believed that they told one another everything, that they had no secrets; they were best friends after all; they were supposed to know everything about each other. _

_But clearly, she had been wrong. _

_Remembering they had company, the man broke the kiss and put Maura down, smiling sheepishly at her. Maura, for her own part, had barely had time to react let alone formulate a sentence before she was swept up off her feet that it took her a moment to recall the situation at hand. She remembered being so happy to hear her friend's voice, to know she was ok after Jane telling her that they'd gotten a possible lead on the suspect, that she'd gotten caught off guard when Christoph seemingly barged right through and kissed her. Christoph, the man she'd never told Jane she had been seeing..._

_Oh god. Oh no..._

_She looked over his shoulder and her heart broke at the range of emotion she saw flit across her friend's face. She saw anger, disbelief, distrust, ire and oh so many questions displayed in the Detective's expression. She also saw that her friend appeared a bit worse for wear, physically, at least. Aware she was now being watched, Jane schooled her features to one of detachment and indifference. She watched as Maura stepped away from the man and moved towards her instead, uncertainty, anxiety and concern marring her ever perfect features._

_"__Jane...it's..." Maura started._

_Jane cut her off turning on her heel abruptly to leave the room. _

_"__It's none of my business, is what it is. You don't have to tell me what you do or who you do for that matter." _

_Her tone was harsh but quite frankly with this new development in Maura's life, the conversation was going downhill fast. They both knew it. She walked towards the elevator to go up and pushed the button, hearing the clack of Maura's heels behind. _

_"__Jane, wait." _

_Jane let out a breath of air but she didn't turn, choosing instead to keep her back to her friend. _

_"__It doesn't matter, Maur. I only came down to tell you we got the asshole." _

_"B..but your hand!" Maura was grasping at straws now, trying anything to get ahold on the situation and her emotions. Yes, the look on Jane's face had not escaped her. Jane stuffed her injured hand into her pocket, wincing slightly. _

_"__Hospitals," she said entering the elevator, "that's what they're there for." _

_She gave a slight grin as if to wave it off but it didn't quite reach her eyes and she knew Maura didn't miss it. When it came to her, Maura didn't miss anything. She pressed the button to the bullpen leaving the ME standing there, hurt evident in her features. Only once the doors were closed, did Jane let out the breath she'd been holding. _

_"Well, I'll be...," she thought._

_She never made it to the hospital. _

_They both knew that..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rizzoli and Isles.**

* * *

Chapter 2

Maura shook her head.

No, that hadn't been her first mistake. Her first mistake had been falling in love with her best friend.

The loud, brash Italian had blundered her way into Maura's life, knocking down her walls so quickly Maura barely had time to breathe. She had gotten to her in more ways than one. Growing up, she had been independent, she had been smart. But at the end of it all, she had also been alone. Bullied for her smarts, the constant teasing, 'Maura-the-bora'. She rolled her eyes in recollection. She had thrown herself into her books and later on, into her career and what did she have to prove for it? Apart from having the top position in the State...

Yes, she'd been lonely. And she'd been alone. But all that had changed with Jane. And she wouldn't wish her life any other way, because if she hadn't done things the way she had, she would never have met the brunette who had brought so much love and laughter into her life.

_God, Jane. _

She chuckled recalling the first time they'd met in the Division One Cafe. Jane had been dressed as a hooker, and a very realistic one too, what with her 'sista'. And even then, she'd noticed how attractive the brunette was with her strong, Italian features and olive skin. And oh, god, those abs. Those perfectly, delicious rectus abdominus. But it was her eyes that did it for Maura; that drew her deeper, that showed sincerity and warmth and compassion and sparkled when she teased. And on occasion, when she believed to have imagined it, love.

She'd moved back to Boston from her previous job with the ME's office in San Francisco, expecting her work experience to be more or less the same. There would be the cruel nicknames, the words whispered behind her back, the absence of having a friend, someone to confide in, to go out with when cases got tough and while it had certainly been the case when she'd first started as Chief ME in Boston, it wasn't something that had continued once she'd found a friend in Jane. The brunette had given her friendship, companionship, a shoulder to lean on, colleagues with whom she now got along with with the exception of Crowe and albeit, not without a few threats she reckoned, kinship, and most of all, a family; loud, and boisterous and with so much love to give that sometimes she became overwhelmed at how lucky she'd gotten.

And then there was the brunette herself...

Constantly chasing up leads and suspects, unable to keep still, always questioning, digging, demanding to get to the truth, the Detective was the fire to her ice, the antithesis to her calm. And yet they fit so well. They were like an equation that did not make sense, where one plus one equaled infinity. Even when she was with Maura and they weren't working, she was always fidgeting be it at Sunday dinner or watching the Sox play.

The only time she was at rest was when she was asleep; complete and vulnerable, soft and at peace. Admittedly, her time spent watching her friend sleep, was her favorite time spent with the Detective.

Because then, she was simply Jane.

No sarcasm, no frown marring her perfect features, no walls. Almost childlike. Innocent even. She wanted to be there for it all. Even the nights when her peace brushed with deranged serial killers who invaded her dreams because it was the one time, Jane allowed for comfort. But with time, and Maura at her side to calm her, to brush away her fears and whispers words of reassurance, these had become few and far between and she couldn't help but feel slightly proud of the way Jane let her guard down around her, the way she let her in when she was most susceptible and exposed.

Yes.

Falling in love with Jane Rizzoli had been her first mistake...

And things had been in a downward spiral ever since...


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Rizzoli and Isles does not belong to me.**

* * *

Chapter 3

Maura groaned. She definitely felt a headache coming.

Placing her hands on either side of her temple, she drew circles in an attempt to ease the growing ache. Mistake number three had come in the form of Angela Montenegro, her friend from her BCU days. Although, if she were being logical, it wasn't technically her fault given the fact that she hadn't been the one to 'introduce' the two. That, had been something on both her friends' shoulders rather than her own but still...she couldn't deny that she hadn't played a part in the whole mess.

Her mind drifted as it thought back to that day...

_"Hey, Maur." Maura looked up to see the brunette strolling through the doors to her office. She smiled, always glad to see her best friend. Plus, it would give her the chance to ask her something she had wanted to ask her since this morning. She'd just never found the right moment._

_"Jane." The Detective stopped in her tracks. She knew that look. It meant the blonde wanted something._

_"Okayyy..."_

_Ignoring the brunette's tentative tone and distance, she picked up the file before standing up and going round her desk to give it to the Detective. _

_"I presume you're here for the lab results," she asked._

_Jane smirked. _

_"Did Maura Isles just guess?" she teased, taking the file from her friend._

_"No. I made a logical deduction given the fact that I just called you to tell you they were in and you said you'd be 'down in a few'," she quoted. "Although, I fail to see how half an hour is a few," she replied, a frown evident on her face in an attempt to process the correlation._

_Jane shrugged. "Frost came up with something, and then as I was on my way down to you, Ma caught me." She grimaced remembering their conversation._

_Maura winced for her friend. "Is she still on at you about you standing up that guy she set you up with?"_

_Jane rolled her eyes. _

_"That's one way of putting it. She'll never let me forget it." She raised her hand as if in gesture to forget all about it, opening up the file. Her eyes skimmed the report. "I gather from your excited tone that you found something?" Maura didn't reply. She was too busy admiring her friend's form but fingers snapping in front of her soon drew her out of her daydream. "Hellooo? Earth to Maur?"_

_"I'm sorry, what?"_

_"You'd tell me if you were a cyborg, wouldn't you?" the brunette teased._

_The ME tilted her head to one side seemingly thinking about the question at hand before she quipped, "no, I don't think I would." Jane laughed, her eyes twinkling with mirth. The blonde appeared very proud of herself for her little joke. Jane reached out a hand to squeeze Maura's arm gently. _

_"You're getting there, Maur."_

_Maura gave her a brilliant smile. __"Thank you," she said._

_"Ok, so results?" The question brought the ME back to the topic at hand. _

_"Oh, yes. Well, as you can see, your gut was correct. The hair found on her body belongs to that of a Charles Patterson."_

_"Yes!" Jane pumped her fist in triumph._

_"Although, as I've told you before, it's not reliable to rely on your gut feeling, Detective."_

_"It's never let me down so far." Though she was loath to do so, the blonde had to agree. __"Now, tell me. What else is it you want?" she asked._

_"I beg your pardon? What I want?" she looked confusedly at Jane._

_"You have that whole look going on," she said, gesturing to Maura's face, her finger rotating round. _

_"What look?" she asked. The question came innocently enough but Jane was not a Detective for nothing. She saw how the ME was fidgeting with her ring, twirling it round and round._

_"That 'I want something' look."_

_Feeling terribly exposed, Maura turned, making her way back to her desk. "I don't know what you mean," she said as she began re-arranging stuff._

_"Maur..." The ME sighed. There was no getting away from this. Once Jane was hooked, that was it. She'd be at it till she got to the bottom of it all. She faced her friend hesitantly._

_"Ok well, my friend from my BCU days is in Boston on a visit and she contacted me. She wants to meet up and I said yes" she said, looking up at Jane._

_"Okayy..." The brunette was completely at a loss about where this was going._

_Maura winced in the knowledge that what she was about to say would not be taken with pleasure. "So I said yes but I kinda said youchristophandIwouldmeetherfordinner. Tonight."_

_Jane's eyes bulged as the clockworks to her mind cranked into action, deciphering the ME's words in the jumbled sentence she had just delivered. Her eyes narrowed._

_"You what?"_

_"Well, she called and we got talking about you, and then about Christoph and she mentioned how she just had to meet the two of you and then it came to me. Why not kill two birds with one stone."_

_Jane fought the urge to roll her eyes. Of all the damned phrases, she had to get that one right._

_"It came to you?"_

_Maura held up her chin defiantly. "Yes." The tone made an eyebrow on the brunette's face go up. Maura sighed before coming forward to take both her hands in her own. "She was the closest thing I had to a friend during my college days. She was my flatmate. You're my best friend now. I just want the two of you to get to know each other," she said, "besides, I've hardly seen you this last month. Ever since I left you and Christoph together to go to the bathroom that evening, you've been pulling away from me, from us. I just want my best friend back," she whispered. "Please, Jane, please." __She looked pleadingly at the Detective, pulling out all the stops. Puppy dog eyes, pout placed firmly on her lips. Jane let the eye roll happen, no holds barred, knowing she had never be able to refuse the blonde when she gave her that look. She never had. Now, it was Jane's turn to sigh. She knew she had been neglecting the ME; she just couldn't tell her why._

_"Fine," she said giving in. She couldn't help but smile at the look of apprehensive joy on her friend's face._

_"Really?"_

_"Yes, really," she assured. "On one condition."_

_"Anything." The word came out before she could stop it and despite noticing the mischievous look in the brunette's eyes, she waved it off thinking that at this moment in time, she'd willingly give Jane anything she wanted; she was just so happy Jane had agreed. It had been a while since they'd hung out aside from work, in part because she'd been spending so much time with the Frenchman who had over the months insisted on treating her to the best of the best when all she really wanted was to put her feet up at home and watch a movie while snuggled beside her best friend, glass of wine in hand._

_The corners of the brunette's mouth quirked up, holding off the smile that was just begging to come through. _

_She was so gonna regret this._

_"That ignoring whatever fancy restaurant we will be going to, I get to have the biggest, most unhealthiest cheeseburger and fries ever." She grinned. She couldn't help it, knowing exactly how the blonde would react. As if on cue, Maura's eyes narrowed, her nose wrinkled and her brows came together, effectively displaying her displeasure at the Detective's request._

_"Jane," she said firmly, in an attempt to make it clear that her tone brooked no argument, determined to change her mind._

_Jane waggled her eyebrows with the knowledge that she had won. _

_"Uh uh uh, Maur," she teased, shaking a finger at her, "you promised. And it's either that, or nothing."_

_"Fine," she huffed, crossing her arms in front of chest to show that although she had agreed, she by no means approved. Catching the ME off guard, the brunette placed a chaste kiss to her temple._

_"So 8 o'clock tonight. You'll text me the name of the place, yes?" All Maura could do was nod mutely. By the time she came out of her trance, it had been to see the Detective leaving her office, file in hand, a quick, "thanks, Maur," thrown her way._

* * *

She'd been true to her word. Albeit a little late, but she had turned up.

_Seeing the brunette weave through waiters and tables, she waved a hand in greeting, feeling a fluttering when she smiled her way. With Christoph seated to her right and Angela across from her, the Detective sat down on her left, face apologetic._

_"Sorry I'm late, Maur. We took a while finding Patterson and then when we finally did, he took hours to fess up."_

_Maura reached for the brunette's hand, squeezing it affectionately. "You're here now. That's all that matters," she said, smiling at her. _

_"Hey, Jane." If Maura noticed the tight smile she gave the Frenchman whilst she nodded in acknowledgement, she didn't say anything, choosing instead to introduce her friend._

_"Jane, I'd like you to meet my friend and ex-roomate, Angela..."_

_"Montenegro," the brunette finished staring across the table at her. Angela's lips quirked at the corners as she took a sip of her water._

_"Well, well, Detective, we meet again," she greeted, her eyes twinkling with merriment. Jane blushed. "If Maura had told me her best friend was Jane Rizzoli, I'd have insisted on meeting you earlier." If possible, Jane turned an even darker shade of red._

_Maura frowned in confusion, her eyes darting between the two. Apart from the odd reference about Angela over the years, she was sure she had never told her her last name before but she saw the look that passed between the two women; it would have been hard not to notice it; it was one of familiarity._

_"Do you two know each other?"_

_Her ex-roomate grinned at Jane who mirrored her expression. "Of sorts," she replied, rather coy about the whole thing. She ran her eyes down the top half of Jane's form drinking her in. And then it sunk in for the ME._

_Oh, god._

_"Jane?"_

_The brunette glanced at her best friend who was giving her a questioning look but it was clear to her, she already knew the answer. _

_"We met last week."_

_"Oh?"_

_Jane shrugged feigning interest in her napkin which she eventually laid on her lap. She caught Angela's amused gaze._

_"At Merch."_

_Maura nearly spit out the wine she had been drinking. She put her glass down._

_"At Merch? But...? Since when...?" _

_For the first in forever, Maura found herself out for the count, speechless, flummoxed. Notwithstanding the series of questions running through her head, she simply couldn't find it within herself to form a sentence. It just wouldn't come. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she looked to see the concern in Christoph's eyes. In fact, as she came to look round the table, she found three sets of gazes on her, all quizzical in their form._

_It was Christoph who broke the silence, the tinge of his French accent coming through. "Maura?" She looked back at him realising they were all waiting for some kind of response that she was still with them. She stood up, taking Jane with her. The fact that she had never thought to let go of it since she'd sat down did not fail to go unnoticed. By her anyway._

_"If you'll just excuse us for a few minutes," she said, practically dragging Jane out of the restaurant, the Detective's protestations dying on her lips. Door closed safely behind them, Maura finally let go, turning to face her friend. Jane rubbed her wrist, certain that after the honey blonde's grip, there would bruises tomorrow. _

_"Jeez, Maur, what was that?" she whined._

_"What was that?!" she said incredulously. "My best friend drops a grenade on me saying that she's not only kissed a woman, who happens to be one of my friends, but she has also slept with one, the same one who's been sitting opposite me this whole time," she hissed, "and you ask what was that? What the hell, Jane!" _

_The Detective looked down at the pavement, scuffing her boot against it. "Bombshell," she muttered._

_Maura frowned. "What?"_

_"It's drop a bombshell, Maur." Her mouth quirked up the corners, and Maura could tell, that despite the situation, she was trying very hard not to laugh. Maura threw her hands up in frustration before placing them on her hips in an intimidating manner._

_"Really?!" she deadpanned. The brunette sobered up seeing the expression on her best friend's face. She ran a hand over her face in mock surrender._

_"Ok, ok," she said, not quite knowing where to start but deciding to jump head first. "I went to Merch last week to blow off some steam after that case involving Casey Anderson, the little boy." Maura nodded. She knew the case Jane was talking about but she had been away for a conference in New York so she hadn't been the presiding ME on the case, instead leaving Dr Gillian Moore in her place, knowing that Dr Pike's presence and many inadequacies would most definitely not be welcomed. "So anyway, I get there, and I'm drinking at the bar for about 20 minutes when this brunette approaches me and we get talking, buying each other drinks and such and one thing led to another and the next morning I woke up in her hotel room." She looked at Maura apprehensively who held her gaze._

_"I don't understand. Was it a one time thing, an experiment? What?"_

_"With Angela or women in general." Maura shrugged._

_"Both, I suppose."_

_"With Angela, it was a one time thing. I left her room forgetting to get her number. I was late for work. As for the other, what can I say? It's not like I've never had relationships with them before," she replied. For the second time that evening, Maura was left speechless, a myriad of emotions bombarding her person. The fact that Jane mentioned that she'd forgotten to get Angela's number thus implying that she wanted whatever it was between them to at least continue left her dazed and temporarily inarticulate and dumbstruck. She opened and closed her mouth several times reminding the brunette of a goldfish but she thought it wise, given the situation, to not mention that little tidbit._

_"S...since when?" she eventually stuttered._

_Jane scratched the back of her head uncertainly. "Err...I guess since the Academy? I can't really remember. I mean, I always knew I liked them since high school and there were stolen kisses and such but nothing to actually constitute as a relationship." _

_"Why didn't you ever tell me?" _

_S_he considered the ME carefully, raising her shoulders and then dropping them again. "It never came up," she said. "You always thought I was into guys, and I never told you otherwise."__

__"Bu...but your mother! Jorge!" The woman got out, clearly struggling with this new information.__

__"Ma...sort of has an inkling...but I've never confirmed it and she's never asked. And Jorge...well, let's just say that match was a moment of temporary madness on your part," she teased. Maura flushed remembering how she'd eventually gotten the male nurse to leave the brunette alone by telling him she was gay and how Jane had never raised a defence in light of her words. __

__God, she'd been so naive. Why hadn't she questioned the Detective's lack of reaction?__

__"I thought I was your best friend," she whispered, looking down. "I thought we told each other everything..."__

__Jane immediately kicked herself. She should have realised what with the ME's feelings of her lack confidence when it came to people and how much her opinion mattered. Despite being a genius, she sometimes forgot her own self-worth. She moved closer to her, taking her hands in hers and she was struck by the familiarity of the whole thing; how Maura had taken up the exact same stance earlier that day with her.__

__"We do. You are."__

__"Then why?"__

__The Detective shrugged. "It never came up," she replied. "And I never thought to tell you. I'm so sorry, Maur. It was never intentional on my part. I just...I guess what with my job and everything, I refused to live up to the stereotype that all female cops are automatically homosexual. But I swear to you, I never meant to keep it from you. Ever." Maura studied her friend, noting the warmth and sincerity and complete regret in her tone and immediately felt reassured.__

__"No," she said, squeezing the brunette's hands in assurance. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have over-reacted." She gave her a small smile.__

__Jane was still unsure. "So...we're okay? You're okay about this? And...about me?"__

__"Yes."__

__"And if I asked Angela out...you'd be okay with that? With us?"__

And that had been her fourth mistake.

_"No, I wouldn't," she thought._

__Grateful for the Hermes scarf that adorned her neck, she gave a rather forced smile before saying, "of course." Feeling relieved, Jane let out the breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding. She grinned, letting go of one of Maura's hands but keeping the other to tug her towards the restaurant she had so abruptly been pulled out of. __

__"So...about that really huge, unhealthy cheeseburger..." The ME fought the inclination to roll her eyes.__

__"Jane..."__

__And with that, the two women disappeared into the restaurant.__

* * *

**Reviews welcomed as always guys! Thank you so far for all your support! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Rizzoli and Isles does not belong to me.**

**I actually wrote the next chapter before writing this one so instead of one update, it'll be two. **

**In any case, thank you for the reviews so far. They've all been helpful in one way or another. **

**One of you said, that you were glad you'd finally found a story where Jane is comfortable with who she is and her sexuality and that you'd like more of an idea about Christoph, what he's like, where his relationship with Maura stands etc and perhaps even a bit more about Angela and whether she and Maura were ever together. If you're interested in such stories LaShonda, you might want to check out The Beautiful Lie. It's a fabulous story, full of angst and emotion and the grappling of feelings. And of course, there's a little bit of Addison Montgomery thrown in. As for you're other two points, I thought about it and came to the same conclusion. So I've included a little bit more about him and where he thinks his relationship with Maura is at in this chapter and the next respectively.**

**ItsMeCharlee: Thanks! I figured that seeing as Maura's dating Christoph, she has very little say in who Jane sees, let alone sleeps with. After all, Maura's sleeping with Christoph. It simply wouldn't be fair to think that Jane doesn't have her own life as well as needs.**

**To Disneylover1010, thanks for your review! I do have a point in contention though, nothing negative to your opinion seeing as you're well entitled to it but my point here is this: If Maura really cared for Jane, loved Jane even, why would she even be with Christoph? Is she not a piece of work too? But then again, they're both hiding their love for each other so...yeah. Just want your opinion on that, a little food for thought if you will.**

**To Dr Hir: Thank you! It's only my third I believe but I have others in the works and so many ideas floating around.**

**Which brings me to my next thought - if any of you want to see a particular plot happen or fancy a collaboration of some kind, do let me know. I'm always willing and open to ideas.**

**Okay, that's enough rambling for now. It's a new chapter you guys want, so it's a new chapter you guys will get.**

**So below, Just a short one. ;)**

* * *

Chapter 4

Maura banged her head against her table in a very un-Mauralike fashion and groaned. The dinner had been an absolute disaster. For her anyway. She'd had to sit through the entire thing watching the flirting, the slight touches, the smiles that had passed between the two women. They'd even shared dessert, with Jane going so far as to feed Angela who had taken to it like a duck to water, seductively twisting her tongue round the morsel the brunette offered while her eyes caressed the rest of her. She'd been so distracted by the two of them that she'd barely paid attention to the man beside her. Her thoughts strayed to Christoph.

He was a nice man, easy on the eyes with his floppy dark locks and sparkling blue eyes. At 6'1 he was taller than the usual type she would have typically gone for. She had met him at one of her mother's art shows and he'd been both charming and attentive towards her but not leering and arrogant like a lot of the men she met at these things. Their love for art was what got them talking. She'd been standing in front of a painting observing the swirling colors when he'd stepped up beside her making his own observations and they'd hit it off from there. He was an art collector by night, a businessman by day. His business was wine. Or rather, the more correct term for it was fine wine trading. Brought up in Jura, a small region in the mountains close to Switzerland, a region that thrived on wine production, it was natural for him to have fallen into the business with the art of understanding wines and pairing them with what the customer was looking for as well as introducing them to tastes one would not normally think to combine becoming somewhat of a talent for him. He was a wine buff as Jane would say. He had come to Boston with the intention of setting up a small trading entity to supply wines to various restaurants. After all, wine and seafood, what better a combination?

It must have been the wine that evening getting to her head, but Maura had felt a level of admiration for the man who had made it for himself in the world, found his footing, his niche, and expanded it from there. Plus, he'd be a good distraction from Jane. So when he asked if he could meet her again, she'd said yes. And one date turned into two, three, four, five...and now here they were going on four months. She had truly thought she could learn to love him; she was fond of him but he never gave her those butterflies one was said to experience when dating; the ones she experienced with the brunette, and she found herself wondering if it would all be worth it in the end - to forgo a forbidden love and settle for something else, something more on the comfort level. He was loving, charming, sweet, attentive and most importantly, accepted her for who she was and what she did. Of course, she could not imagine loving him with the same intensity as she loved Jane.

Never to that extent.

There had been times when she'd thought about confessing her feelings to the brunette but there was a niggling feeling in the back of her mind that always stopped her, that called out to her that in the event that they were to become lovers, what would happen if it were to all fall apart? The thought of Jane no longer being in her life was unbearable; it made her panic. And besides, Jane wasn't into women. Or at least, she hadn't believed it to be so.

Till Angela.

She'd really been thrown a spin ball with that. Wait. Spin ball? Was that how they said it? She'd have to check with Jane.

Jane.

She shook her head sadly remembering the two of then weren't talking as she recalled the _slight_ disagreement they had had...

* * *

_"Hey, Maur," the brunette said, wandering into her office. "You ready to go?"_

_Maura looked up confusedly from her desk where she was packing her stuff._

_"Go?" she asked._

_"Yeah, you wanted to go to that Mummy exhibition thing the museum's holding for one night only. You know, the one on Tut-and-harmon dude?" Maura shot her a disapproving glance before going to correct her. _

_"It's Tutankhamun, Jane. And he's hardly a 'dude'," she quoted. The Detective gave a wave of hand as if to say whatever. "He was one of the most famous Pharaohs of his time because he not only became King at the peak of Egypt becoming a world power but also because he rejected the radical religious innovations that had been put in place by his father and predecessor, Akhenaten. Did you know he only became pharaoh when he was nine years old? Imagine that. So much responsibility at such a young age."_

_"Yeah, yeah, and he reigned for ten years, yada yada yada."_

_Maura's face brightened. "You listened."_

_"Don't sound so surprised, Maur," she said turning red at the ME's observation, "I always listen to you." Hands stuffed in pockets, she scuffed her boot on a spot on the floor._

_"Except when I tell you to eat your greens," Maura teased. Jane rolled her eyes._

_"So, we going or what? You have two hours to get ready and for us to grab something on the way. I figured you might want to change before we hit the museum."_

_Maura frowned, unfamiliar with the idea of hitting anything but then her expression turned apologetic._

_"I'm sorry, Jane," she said, walking over to grasp her friend lightly on the arm, "but I completely forgot that we'd made plans to go, and Christoph already asked me. We're going to dinner and then later, we're heading over the museum to check it out. What with work these last couple of weeks, and Christoph and I spending as much time as possible before he goes to Napa for the week, it slipped my mind." She gave the brunette a small smile. "We'll go the next time it's in town," she appeased, patting Jane on the arm, as if she were a child. She walked back to her desk to resume her packing. "Why don't you call Angela and arrange something with her? I'm sure it's not too late," she said trying to sound offhanded and yet not quite able to conceal the slight distress coiling in the pit of her stomach, the hopefulness that she wouldn't take her suggestion to heart. It was stupid really. And completely unreasonable on her part. Who was she to say who the woman could and could not go out with given her own relationship at present moment, given the fact that she'd never even indicated to the brunette her true feelings. Jane stood there stupefied for a split second before her eyes narrowed dangerously._

_"What do you mean next time?" she asked. "This is the ONLY time it's going to be in town. That's why it ONE night ONLY" She was having a hard time dealing with the fact that Maura had just seemed to pawn her off now that her boy toy was in the picture; best friends weren't supposed to do that. It was a rule. Or at least it was in her book. She had never cancelled on Maura unless of course, it was justified, like work or chasing a lead. What the hell made it okay for Maura to think that she could do it to her? Having noticed Jane's tone, Maura stopped what she was doing and looked up at her friend, taking in her defensive stance, realizing she had genuinely hurt her friend. She walked back over attempting to make contact with the brunette who stepped away. She sighed._

_"Jane. I really am sorry," she said._

_"What about? Forgetting it was supposed to be us going, that we'd made plans or pawning me off like I don't matter, in favor of your boyfriend?" came the snarky response. She didn't miss the hurt that crossed Maura's face before it dipped to face the floor. _

_"Both," came the whispered reply. She moved closer to the brunette yet stayed far enough away so as to not invade her personal space. To be honest, she wasn't sure it would be appreciated but her heart ached at the look on her face. Jane was right. What she had done was unforgivable and it certainly wasn't the way to treat a friend. She didn't for the life of her understand how she had forgotten. It was not normally in her nature to do so. __"I'll make it up to you," she said. Next week while Christoph's away, we'll do something you want to do. Anything." She saw the walls fall, the angst and anger drain, and for a split second she thought she'd said the right thing, but clearly with Jane's next words, she found herself to be mistaken._

_"This was what I wanted to do, M. Because, it was what YOU wanted to do. Except, it doesn't seem like you wanted to do it with me." Maura stepped in to interject but held herself back seeing the Detective was not finished. "I'm your best friend, Maur. Or at least I'm supposed to be. But ever since you met Christoph, it's like our friendship has taken a back seat. You've been avoiding me, and I sure as hell don't know why. Suddenly dates with Christoph have priority. And I understand you're with Christoph and that you want to do things with him, and I don't begrudge you that. I really don't. After all, it's him you're with, not me. But I'M HERE, Maur. I'm here! And I have feelings too. And I don't love Angela, at least, not in the way you think I do, nor does she love me. __I love YOU! __More than he ever will. More than anyone ever could. So answer me this: will he ever love you as much as I do? The way you deserve to be loved? Does he know that sometimes, you prefer beer to wine, grilled cheese and fluff sandwiches, that you can get down and dirty with the rest of us during softball and slide to base? Does he notice the cute little way your nose wrinkles when you're thinking? Teach you sarcasm? Make you laugh as often as I do? That despite your constant yammering about the benefits of a healthy diet, you sneak fries off the plate?" She was on a roll, and it was clear she wasn't stopping anytime soon. "Does he accept you quirks and all? M__ake you happy, make you smile, make you laugh, give you that warm fuzzy feeling whenever he's close by? Does he love you the way you deserve to be loved? The way that I do?" _

_Jane gulped and her eyes widened as the impact of her impassioned words hit her full force. _In her anger, she hadn't meant to let it slip, but it had nonetheless. "I..I...look, maybe I should give you some space. We can just pretend this never happened," she said, slowly backing away towards the door, eventually reaching it, and hightailing it out of there, leaving a stunned ME staring in her wake with her only thought being:__

__Jane loves me too.__


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Rizzoli and Isles does not belong to me.**

**Ok, so I thought it would be good, after four or so chapters of Maura, to get a bit of Jane. Hence, the chapter below is based entirely on Jane's perspective and thoughts. Hope you like it. :)**

* * *

Chapter 5

Jane stared at her computer bug-eyed.

_Shit._

She'd actually got it.

She'd been offered the job in DC to work with the Jeffersonian team. Angela's doing of course.

When Angela had said she'd ask around and put in a good word for her with Booth, she'd thought why the hell not. It's not like anything was holding her back in Boston. Ok, so her family was here and she'd made firm friends and had had excellent partners at BPD and Maura... and with that, her excitement deflated.

Maura.

The person she loved with all her heart, whom she swore to protect... she wasn't hers either. That was Christoph's job now. Or at least it will be once she says yes. She grimaced at the thought. Stupid French guy and his ridiculous notions of love. A little over two weeks ago, he'd come up to the bullpen to see her and for a heart stopping moment she'd thought that Maura had told him how she'd confessed her feelings towards her and that he was here to tell her to back off, to stay away from his girlfriend.

But no.

Instead, he'd gone and dropped a bigger bombshell.

He wanted to propose.

Ask Maura to marry him but he wasn't sure about the ring and would Jane, as Maura's best friend and the person who knew her best, please come and help him pick one out. It would allow them to spend some 'quality' time together now that he'd be around for a lot longer. Never mind that it was for her to say yes; he was sure she would. Never mind the fact that Maura and her hardly spoke anymore; he was oblivious. You could put him in the epicentre of an earthquake and he wouldn't notice the buildings collapsing around him, the people running in fear for their lives. Facing Christoph's fury and indignation she could deal with.

This.

This she couldn't.

But she'd put a smile on her face and told her she'd be happy to help, ignoring the anguish and torment burning deep inside that told her Maura was supposed to be with her...

* * *

They'd made an arrangement to meet the following day, case permitting, and so she'd gone along with his hair-brained scheme.

_So she'd left the precinct a little early that day, and turned up at the jeweler's and they'd spent the next hour and a half looking at rings. It had been an hour and a half too long in her opinion. He hadn't really needed her to be honest; he'd had his own views of what he was looking for and far be it from Jane to talk him out of it. After ooohing and ahhhing over several rings, all of which she'd managed to narrow down, with much persuasion and grimacing, to something more suitable for the ME, he had gone with a titanium band that had a big, ostentatious diamond in the centre in the shape of a flower._

_Only the best for his girl._

_The price was a killer too._

_She rolled her eyes. Her phone made a sound indicating she had a message. It was Angela. She thought after the day Jane had had, she might like to meet up at the Robber for a drink. She smiled her first smile of the day, quickly replying that she would meet her there before pocketing the phone. Checking that their 'quality' time was indeed over, she made her escape to find the brunette she'd been seeing on and off, already sitting at the booth that used to hers and Maura's. She slid in opposite to see her favorite beer waiting for her. Angela had given her a sympathetic smile, a gentle squeeze of the hand in silent communication that she understood. She knew about Maura. She knew about the ring shopping. She knew how, at the present moment, Jane's heart had already been taken before she arrived. As Maura's roommate, Angela appreciated how much one could become enamored with the ME but she had never quite been her type despite being bi-sexual. In fact, her resemblance to Temperance was, on occasion, scary, especially since they both seemed to have the ability to spout off strange facts at what could sometimes be described as being, the most inadequate of moments. In Jane, she wasn't looking for anything of permanence. She just wanted a friend; someone to meet up with, grab a drink with every now and then. If they were both being honest, there was an equal amount of using on both their parts._

_They had come to an agreement, of sorts. They both enjoyed each other's company, there was genuine affection and compassion there, but there was just no spark. The sort of spark that people spend years looking for before settling for what they have in front of them. Before making do. Before thinking, I love them, but I'm not necessarily in love with them. Angela herself was just getting over a break up which was in part why she had taken time off, the other being that her dad's band had been playing in Boston at the time. She wasn't looking for another relationship at the present time but she appreciated Jane's company, and it never hurt to have another friend, did it? They took refuge in each other, in the touches and the unspoken words of where they were going with this. They knew it had to end at some point. They both knew it would never lead to anything more. And yet, here they were, sat across from each other. _

_Realizing__ she now held an empty bottle between her hands, the label long since picked off, she got up to get another, stopping only when she felt Angela's hand on her arm, urging her to sit down. She needed to use the bathroom anyway, so if she could just wait a little bit longer for her next beer, she teased, she'd get them both a second round. Jane accepted._

_With Angela temporarily gone, she cast her mind back to the events of the day; to the unsolved case they had on their hands, the small blonde child that had been found brutally murdered, to the picking of the ring, Christoph's words of_

_I love her. _

_I'm going to ask her to marry me._

_I think ours is the sort of love that will last._

_Forever._

_reverberating in her head._

_It's the word 'forever' that does it, before there's the sudden crashing realization that she will lose the ME; that there was a possibility that Maura might say yes, and where would she be then? _

_Confronted brutally with her future, she saw herself accompanying the blonde to shop after shop picking out the flower arrangement, the caterer's, the food and upscale nonsense because her future husband wanted nothing less than the best for his girl, the dress, standing at the front of the aisle watching the blonde with her radiant smile, looking more beautiful than ever as she made her way down it. But not to Jane. _

_Never to Jane. _

_She panicked, feeling the walls of the Robber closing in around her, the people laughing, cheering, their smiles, their happiness. _

_It all became too much. _

_She got to her feet breathing heavily. _

_She had to get out of there._

_Throwing open the back door, she was hit by the coolness of the Boston night and she gulped, scrabbling for that oxygen, for that grounding. But it's the arms around her body turning her around, the hands that cup her face causing her to focus on the pools of brown in front of her and the soothing voice that grounds her and makes her breath again before she collapses on the cold cobbled floor in the middle of the alleyway with the brunette's arms around her as she sobbed her heart out. And it's the arms around her, the hands running through her hair and the sweet nothings being whispered in her ear that finally brings her back. And she has no idea how long they've been sitting there; she just knows that right now, she doesn't want to move, doesn't want to go back to reality because reality's a big and frightening thing. And right now, in this moment, she's not prepared to face it._

_The next morning she wakes to hear clanging in her kitchen and she groans thinking it's her mother and she really doesn't want to face the woman at...7am?! She drags herself out of bed but the woman she's expecting to see is not the one standing over the stove in her kitchen making breakfast and for once, she throws up a thanks to God for his thoughtfulness. And standing there watching the woman potter around her kitchen, her heart swells and she thinks, for the very first time,_

_I could quite possibly fall in love with this woman. _

_There is the chance of a future together. _

_Something more concrete. _

_Someday._

_Feeling eyes on her, Angela turns round and smiles and Jane pushes herself off the wall she had been leaning against and makes her way toward her, wrapping her arms around the woman who's standing in nothing but her white oxford and underwear, who's turned back to the stove in order to ensure the food doesn't burn. She nuzzles into the length of the brunette's neck, breathing her in, and still stood facing the stove, Angela turns her head slightly, snaking the hand that's not holding the spatula round Jane's head, before placing a chaste kiss on her cheek and a whispered good morning in her ear. And Jane grunts in response because she's nothing without her morning dose of coffee and Angela knows this because she steps away, handing her her cup of Joe's, placing a plate of waffles and bacon in front. And they sit, simply eating their breakfast. But Jane knows she can't ignore what happened last night, the vulnerability she displayed but the look in Angela's eyes communicates that there's is no need for acknowledgement or apology. Instead, she broaches a different topic._

_Come to DC. _

_Stay a while._

_If you want, I can even ask around, put in a good word with Booth, see if he can get you a job, something to keep you occupied._

_Temporarily._

_Just till you've cleared your head._

_And the offer's tempting. Because god only knows she needs it. And before she knows it, she's agreed..._

* * *

Jane came back into herself.

Four and a half months.

They'd been dating four and a half months and already he was convinced the ME was the one he'd spend the rest of his life with.

_Oh god._

Who was she to talk. Six months after becoming friends with the small blonde woman with sparkling hazel eyes and realizing that the she'd fallen in love her best friend, she'd bought a ring herself. She hadn't meant to but impulse caused her to do it. She'd walked past a shop one day, one that sold rings and such when the glint of one caught her attention. It was a simple white gold band with small diamonds running up halfway and meeting in the middle.

She'd bought it.

It had been way out of her budget, and had set her back by months causing her to have to scrimp and save on the smallest thing but she couldn't help it. It was simple, but understated; elegant and classic in its beauty.

It was Maura.

She looked back at her computer, her mind registering the fact that in the last few minutes, she hadn't moved from her position and the job offer was not something she wanted to tell people about right now. She had some time to think about it. But was it time she wanted? Was the situation between them going to get any better? It certainly hadn't since she'd told the blonde how she felt. She hadn't meant for it to come out, but it had. And now it was beyond awkward between the two of them.

_Perhaps some time apart would be useful._

_Give them both some perspective._

Because at the moment, all this was doing was hurting them.

Perhaps, it would allow them both to move on; put it behind them. And then maybe, a couple of months down the road, they'd be able to get back to where they had been.

As _friends._

It was the ideal clashing with reality and deep down she worried:

What if they never got back to them?

But then realization sank in. Regardless of her reasons, she'd still have to tell people. Frost, Korsak, Frankie, Tommy, her mother, Maura...

And out of those people, it wasn't her mother's expression she most worried about. It was Maura's.

Squaring her shoulders, she clicked on reply, as she began to type her response.

* * *

**The ring I'm talking about, in case any of you are interested in what it looks like, is the Tiffany metro ring 18k with diamonds. Check it out if you like. I just thought you would like to put an image to the words.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Rizzoli and Isles does not belong to me.**

* * *

Chapter 6

Jane paced the bullpen like a caged animal, wearing thin the linoleum on the floor. One end to the other, up, down, muttering to herself. She was a woman possessed, she was a woman on a mission. Except, she had no idea where to start. It was just as well everyone had gone home for the night. If they hadn't done so willingly, they would definitely have done so just to ensure that they didn't incur the wrath of one Detective Jane Rizzoli.

Just over two days ago, she had replied to the email saying that she would accept and when was she to start. And she thought she'd at least have a couple of weeks to prepare but the phone call immediately after, and the voice at the other end asked if she could get to DC by the beginning of next week, and before she's even thought about it, she's said yes, and the person on the other end, hangs up leaving her with the details of the address to her apartment and an empty dial tone. And now she's wondering what on earth made her agree. Despite having told her family and her partners, past and present, that she'd put in for this change and been accepted, she has not yet told the blonde she used to call a friend till the whole relationship business went tits up, and she herself is barely prepared for the change that seems to be drawing only closer and closer. She thinks of her apartment still scattered with dirty laundry and beer bottles, and of Jo Friday, for whom she's made no prior arrangement for via the airline even though she knows dog whisperer Korsak would be happy to fill in till she got things sorted. But she knows that if the blonde were to find out from someone else other than herself, then the woman will be pissed or if she leaves it any later she'll chicken out. She's got to start somewhere so she does.

"God dammit!" she growled, as she whisked her jacket off the back of her chair. She knew where Maura was, the restaurant Christoph had taken her being the one where he wanted to propose tonight. And despite the _slight_ crimp it might cause his plans, she thinks, _there's no time like the present_, and before she even thinks about what he consequences her showing up is going to have, she's already squealed out of the parking garage and towards her fate.

* * *

Jane enters the dimly lit French restaurant in a slightly calmer yet no less determined mood than she was a mere 20 minutes ago, and her eyes roam the place, searching for the blonde before she spots her and that idiot of a Frenchman, sitting in a quiet booth away from everyone, and she strides over. It's clear from both their faces that they're surprised to see her, Maura especially whose expression is mixed with a tinge of apprehension because despite the space she asked the brunette to give her to process, they haven't exactly spoken more than their count of civil words to each other at work since and she thinks that perhaps, she's tired of waiting.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your evening, but do you mind giving us a couple of minutes? I need to talk to Maura. Urgently." The Frenchman nods, none the wiser. He doesn't see her as a threat even though he should and Jane can't help but feel a degree of melancholy and an intense amount of sadness for the cloak of oblivion and romanticism he has wrapped himself in, far enough to believe that no one could ever take his girl away from him simply because in his eyes, the love he has for her is enough. Never mind the fact that they hardly knew each other, or that love isn't simply based on the emotion you feel for that one person but rather a combination of things; trust, honesty, compassion, friendship. She slid into the booth, resolve and bravery gone, the minute she does so and instead picks at the scars on the back of her hands.

"Jane?" The sweet and melodic voice draws her out of her trance and she looks over to see concern in hazel eyes. "What is it you need to speak about that's so urgent?" Jane cleared her throat.

"Well, I..." As if by a bizarre twist of fat, they are suddenly interrupted by two violinists who started playing some such sappy song or other. Jane scowled. "You got any Black Sabbath." Maura held back a giggle.

_God, it felt good to be friends again, to pretend, if only for a moment_, she thought. The brunette's sense of humor was one of the things she loved about her, regardless of the times when she didn't seem to 'get it'. They discreetly moved on.

"You were saying?"

"Yeah. So, this urgent thing I need to tell you about..." she started, only to find herself interrupted yet again, this time by Christoph himself who has decided to make an appearance. The brunette stifled a groan, resisting the urge to face palm herself. Clearly, the fates weren't on her side. At least, not tonight.

"Are you two alright? Do you need some more time?"

Jane stood. "No. No, it's fine. I'll leave you two to it. I'm sorry to have interrupted your evening," and before Maura can even bat an eyelid, she's gone.

* * *

She's standing in front of the coffee maker in the break room, trying to dissolve the countless heaps of sugar she's just thrown in to her morning cup of Jo's when she hears a throat clear behind her, and she turns to see the ME standing in the doorway.

"Would you like to tell me what last night was about?" she asks with a pointed look. Jane sighs. She had hoped to at least have had some time to prepare before heading down to the morgue to try again. Coffee at least, before even being able to operate but then she thinks of the job in Washington and how she's accepted it, and she knows that Maura deserves to know. Nodding her head towards the seat, they both sat down, Maura a little more hesitantly. The distance between them does not go unnoticed by either. Jane cupped her hands around the steaming mug, grateful for the temporary relief it provided in her hands before she began.

"I wanted to tell you this yesterday. That's why I showed up so suddenly but then after one interruption after another, it just became more difficult to get the words out. I'm sorry too, by the way, for interrupting your dinner," she sidetracked. Maura cocked her head to one side.

"Jane, if this is about what you said a few weeks ago..."

The brunette's hand shot out to cover the dainty one that belonged to the ME. "It's not," she reassured, before re-thinking her words. "At least, not entirely. I know you said you needed time to process and decide and do whatever it is that goes on in that big brain of yours, but I figured you should know...I put in for a job elsewhere." The shock Maura feels is beyond description. She had never thought it would amount to this, but clearly, she was wrong. "Angela asked me to go to DC with her. She put in a good word for me with one of her colleagues, who has given me a position. But it's just temporary," she hastened to add. "Just till you figure where you want to go with all this." She shrugs continuing. "I thought maybe, the distance would do us both some good, give us some space, let you think without the added pressure of my presence." She tries to convince herself of her words and that the silence that follows is a good thing, but she knows she's only kidding herself. She lifts her head to look at the window, in an attempt to put her jumbled wanderings into coherence and focuses instead on where the rain is pelting at it, leaving long, wet streaks down its pane.

"When do you leave?" The question comes out of the blue and it's not the one Maura wants to ask, but she finds herself doing so anyway.

Jane turned to face her best friend, looking uncomfortable. She gulped, suddenly nervous, as if she knew what the blonde's reaction would be.

"Four days"

And then it comes.

The whirlwind torrent of question and statement all rolled into one. "Four days!"

"Yeah...Look, I know it's short notice..."

"Short notice?!" Jane winced. This was not going well at all. "Thi...this isn't short notice! It's..It's no notice at all! How long have you known?" she demanded.

"About the offer, or since I accepted?"

"Is there a difference?"

"Well...yes. For a start, the timeline is different, though not significantly so, unless you're willing to calculate it into hours, minutes, seconds and milliseconds..." she's aware of how much like Maura she's starting to sound. "Although, if you're talking about how long I've known about the offer to put in a good word, that, I can confirm is longer, but it was by no means a confirmation, so technically, there was nothing to tell." Maura's eyes narrowed.

"It's been about a month since Angela said something?" She doesn't think it's possible but somehow, the blonde's eyes contract even more, leaving a dangerous glitter of gold flecks to the already darkened hazel. "Coupla' days since I accepted and they confirmed." she squeaked. "But in my defense, I thought I'd have longer. I thought they'd give me longer and not want me to come right away." Maura looked at her incredibly and she grasps for whatever hold she can get on this conversation, whatever sliver it may be.

"Why didn't you say something? Why keep it to yourself for so long? Does your mother know? Do Frankie and Tommy? Cavanaugh? What are you going to do with Jo Friday?" The slew of questions hit her head on. They just kept coming and coming. She'd barely had the time to think of a response to one before the next one was shot out.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down there. First of all, yes, Ma knows. So does Frankie and Tommy and Frost and Korsak. And before you start shooting loads of questions at me again," she said seeing Maura open her mouth and promptly cutting her off, "I told them not to tell you." Maura felt physically ill. She knew she'd told Jane to give her some space but did she really think, she couldn't come to her? Tell her what she was thinking? And the others...why hadn't they said anything? Hinted even? But just as Jane had been doing ever since they had met, she answered the questions that had been on the forefront of her mind. "I thought it'd be better if you heard it from me," she said. "It wasn't their place to break it to you, to hit you with news that big, and I knew you'd be furious if it came from someone other than myself. And well, let's face it, Maur. Ever since I told you how I felt, you've barely been able to look me in the eye. It's a struggle some days to even get you to stay in the same room as me."

_Tell her you love her._

"I..."

But then they're interrupted by Frost at the door saying they've got a lead on their suspect and Jane takes that as her cue to leave. It's her last case after all, and she'll be damned to not go out with a bang, to not let it go cold.

"I have to go..." Maura nods. And despite her complacency and apparent on the surface nonchalance, deep down, she's experiencing a turmoil of emotions that she's been experiencing since the day she realized the change in her affections toward the brunette which she thought she'd put a tamper on. But Jane's confession has opened it all up again, causing her to feel raw and vulnerable and confused. And she wants to stop her, to shout from the rooftops that she loves her too, that she's _in love_ with her but that she's scared. She's scared that if she changes the dynamic of their relationship, that somewhere along the way, she'll lose her too because in the end, everybody leaves. It's what she learnt whilst growing up. And even though all she wants to do is put her arms round that long neck to draw her closer and kiss the brunette's soft lips, and show her just how she feels, she can't because in the event that it all somehow goes wrong between them, a life without Jane Rizzoli is no life at all.

She watches silently as Jane gets up and goes to the door, turning to look back her way once to give her a small smile before disappearing out of it and there's still that niggling voice in her head saying,

__Tell her you love her. __

But the words just would not come.


	7. Chapter 7

**Long overdue I know but I hope you like it nonetheless! :)**

* * *

Chapter 7 - A Fool for You

Maura entered her office, weary from the budget meeting she's had to attend with the Commissioner and Governor alike. It was the part of her job she disliked the most because it took her away from her work, her real work of providing evidence that helped solve murders, of giving answers to a family's pain and bringing justice to not only the victim but their loved ones too. That was what kept her going. Not working out how much the city could give her to spend to carry out tests and labs and how many people they could afford to employ before it was too many or started affecting the results they got and the criminals that were arrested. It was all bureaucratic nonsense as Jane would say. Maura sighed as her thoughts once again strayed to the brunette for what must have been the millionth time that week. And it was only Tuesday.

In the days leading up from Jane's confession at having taken a job elsewhere, Maura herself had done some thinking of her own. Shut off from the rest of the world, she had taken some personal time and stayed in her room, only coming out when absolutely necessary and she had come to the conclusion that she had been stupid, taking the course of action that she had.

No.

She had been an absolute fool.

She had been a fool to have been afraid. She'd been afraid that if the nature of their relationship ever changed, something would eventually go wrong, and like all others, she would be left alone, much as she had been when she'd been a child and whilst growing up. Jane would leave her and then she'd have no one. Because people eventually did. And the thought of being without the brunette, of her leaving, of not having her in her life in the event of them being in an established relationship, had hit her and terrified her at the same time. Which was why she hadn't told her how she felt, just like she didn't go after her when the brunette had confessed her own feelings. She'd thought she could have the best of both. She could have someone who loved her like Christoph did and at the same time, have Jane. And though it would hurt to love her from afar, and to never have her for herself, she had truly believed it would have been enough. But she had been a fool. Because Jane had decided to leave; to make it easier for them both now that they're friendship had become strained and give them both some space. And she had realized she would lose Jane anyway. And the thought had hit her like a freight truck, her breathing hitching at the thought. And she'd known without a doubt, she couldn't do it. She could never survive without her. Which was why she had every intention of breaking it off with Christoph. He'd be hurt, yes. But it was better for him to find someone who truly loved him rather than someone who was only fond of him. As a friend. It wasn't fair to him because no matter what, she'd always be comparing him to Jane, and being the deceptively complex creature she was, _nothing_..._nothing_ could ever compare to the Detective. Which was why she'd asked him to meet her for lunch - so that she could break it off with him. And once that was done, once she was free of all ties, she had every intention of going to the Detective. She owed her an explanation after all, but most of all, she wanted to ask her to stay; for her and to love her. She'd get down on her knees and beg her to if it came to it.

She placed her bag down on the desk, noting the mail Susie had kindly set on her desk but it was the envelope stacked at a slanting position behind it, with her name written in Jane's messy scrawl that caught her eye. Drawn to it, she reached over to open it. Picking it up, she noticed the slightly heavy feel it carried and so, she tipped it upside down only to see a small, tiny, St Michael's medal and a note fall out onto her palm. Her breath hitched as she recognized that it belonged to the brunette. St Michael, the patron saint of cops, had been something the brunette had worn ever since Maura had gotten to know her. It had always been round her neck without fail, and sometimes, Maura couldn't help but wonder if it carried a true sort of power; if it was the reason Jane had survived every one of her run-ins with psychotic bread delivery men and mad med school flunk outs and the taking down people three times her size. She opened up the note which had clearly been torn off its pad in haste given the jagged edges surrounding it and it was, she noted, also fairly large given the number of words on it. It simply read:

_This will serve you far better than it has ever served me._

_After all, I'm the one that carries the gun._

_Jane x_

Reading those words, Maura couldn't help but smile at the grain of truth they contained. Despite her job and the relative confines of the walls that surrounded her while she worked, her run-ins with criminals had to almost be on par with those who put their lives on the line every day. The only difference was all the kidnappings and hostage situations she had experienced at the hands of Doyle, numerous times over, and Dennis Rockmond hadn't exactly been a career choice. Being an ME was supposed to be a fairly safe profession but she'd been a target almost as much as Jane herself had. She couldn't but feel a tinge of worry though. Because if St. Michael wasn't around to protect the brunette, then who was? No one. And though she had felt pain at the thought of losing the brunette to a job that was on the other side of the country, the thought of losing her completely made her weak at the knees. She couldn't even contemplate what she would do, how she would survive. And that just made her more determined to get her back.

She was brought out of her reverie by the sound of knocking at her door and she looked up to see Christoph's head peering round it. She smiled, welcoming him in, feeling grateful for the fact that he had come early because the sooner this was over and done with, the sooner she could get Jane back. That was...if she even wanted her given the way she had acted towards her. She wouldn't blame her if she didn't but she did allow herself a tiny amount of hope that it would not be the case.

She carefully placed the medal and the note in her purse, and looked up to see him standing in front of her desk, holding what looked to be a picnic basket. She frowned. Surely she hadn't given any indication that this was to be a friendly chat, and searched the depths of her memory to make sure that the time when Jane had tried to explain to her that the words 'we need to talk', the phrase did indeed carry negative connotations. She was certain she had made no mistake as to that conversation. He smiled going to open the basket as he began.

"I know you said you wanted to meet for lunch, but I thought it would be nice for us to share a picnic, ma cherie. I brought some of your favorite foods," he said, beginning to take the items out.

"Christoph..." He held up a hand effectively cutting her off.

"I'm glad you called, ma cherie." He said, coming round to where she stood. Gently, he tugged on her wrists getting her to sit, before pulling up a spare chair to sit in front of her. He took her hands in his. "I know you said you wanted to speak to me about something but I kind of have something I'd like to discuss with you first. That is, if you don't mind?" She nodded, giving him the go ahead.

"Maura...I love you. You know that right?" She nodded, uncertain about where this was heading, wanting to interject and tell him the feeling wasn't mutual but she could see he had something he desperately wanted to get off his chest, so she let him go on. "Six months go, I came to Boston to expand my business, make something of myself. I never thought about dating or the possibility of even meeting someone who I would imagine having a future with. It was all money and wine and negotiating deals. But then I met you. And for the first time, I could see my future. You, me, us. A couple of kids even. Living in France." Her breath caught at the thought of being away from all she held dear. Of being away from Jane. And she knew with an undying certainty that she could never do it. She needed the brunette as much as she needed the air around her to breathe. But most of all, most importantly, she needed to tell her how she felt, and stop her from leaving. She started to panic, the knowledge of where exactly this conversation was going only made the difficulty in putting a stop to it harder. But she had to. Because she couldn't lie to herself anymore. She couldn't add any more mistakes to the ever growing list...

"Christoph, I..."

Seeing the look on her face and the fact that she was going to interrupt, he quickly cut her off. "Or we could stay here. Whatever. It does not matter to me." He shrugged. "All I want is to be with you." He quickly fished something out of his pocket, bringing out a small box. He opened it up as he got down on one knee. "I wanted to do this earlier, that night we got interrupted...I had the violinists and everything planned..."

_So that's why they had been there_. She winced at the gesture. He clearly didn't know her at all. "Christoph, you're a very nice man, b..."

"But I can't wait any longer," he continued, clearly not hearing a word she was saying. "So, Maura Isles, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

Maura looked down at Christoph kneeling on one knee, ring in hand, hopeful smile on his face, but all she saw was Jane. Jane. And it hit her for the second time in two days that no matter how much distance she'd tried to put between them, it hadn't worked. Because all she wanted was her. All she saw in her future was her, and it just made her need to get to the brunette all the more urgent, causing tears to come unbidden to her eyes. She cursed herself mentally for them because she knew he would think they were tears of joy and happiness, and though they were in a way, they weren't directed towards him. They existed because she had not only found her true destiny but finally accepted it; she had known it all along, and because the future he described was the one she pictured with the Detective. She just needed to make it true.

"Christoph..." She looked at him, then down to the ring box that sat snugly in his hand before curling her own hands around his and snapping it shut. The resounding sound as it pinged off the four walls of her office had a sense of finality, the closing of a chapter. His smile turned into a frown as the corners of his eyebrows came together in confusion.

"Maura...?" She sighed at his complete lack of comprehension for the situation and what she was about to say. She took in his stance and downcast eyes feeling as if she were reprimanding a child who hadn't a clue what they had done to necessitate the firm tone in the adult's voice.

"Christoph...I can't marry you..."


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't usually post anything on a weekend as mine are usually packed but today, after a dismal PRIDE festival, I found myself taking to the comforts of my laptop and for lack of anything else to do, churning this out instead. Yes, that's really how bad it was. Plus, we lost our match today. Bad day.**

**On a more interesting note, anyone watching the world cup? Who are you supporting?**

**Anyway, here's chapter 8 for you all. You'll be glad to know that this will soon be finished. I think only 2 more chapters and that should do it? We'll see. Have a great weekend in the meantime and thanks for all your support and reviews so far. **

* * *

Chapter 8

Maura stepped out of the elevator doors and into the bullpen feeling lighter than she had in months. Breaking it off with Christoph only moments ago had been difficult but the relief that coursed through her once she had done it had been amazing. It was time. Time for her to take charge of her own destiny and get her detective back. Her detective. She smiled she realized she had just thought of the Detective as hers, and the warm feeling it brought within coursed through her.

Gazing in the direction of Jane's desk, she frowned slightly when she didn't see the Detective at her desk. Instead there was a small pile of paperwork. She shook her head lightly. Jane was _always_ behind on her paperback. Finding Korsak at his desk, she went over to him.

"Have you seen, Jane anywhere?"

Korsak looked up from the dog video he had been chuckling over. "Sorry, Doc. Jane went home about an hour ago. Said something about having to pack up her apartment before she goes."

"Thank you." It didn't make a bit of difference. He was already back to watching his video. She slipped out of the bullpen unnoticed, deciding that as it was lunchtime, she would grab their usual order of coffee from Angela before making her way to Jane's apartment, and pressed the button to go down.

* * *

Entering the division one cafe, she headed over to the woman behind the counter who at that very moment looked up and gave her a warm smile.

"Maura."

"Angela."

"Here for you're usual?"

"Please. And could I also get one for Jane at the same time."

Angela tsked to herself, muttering about how her daughter drank far too much coffee, slept far too little and worked far too hard. It was a spiel Maura had heard time and time again to the extent that she knew it word for word, but she knew the poor woman only did it because she worried about her daughter. She stood off to the side as Angela processed her order, taking the opportunity to once again look at the medal that dangled on the chain in her hand.

"She gave it to you then," Angela said indicating to the necklace in her hand as she placed both coffees in front of the ME.

"What? Oh. Yes. Well, she didn't exactly give it to me in that she didn't physically hand it to me. I found it in an envelope she placed on my desk." She looked at her curiously. "How did you know?"

Angela sighed and slung her dishcloth over her shoulder. She nodded at the seat next to Maura, suggesting she should sit down. The ME swiftly got comfortable. "When Jane was 18, she came to her Pop and me saying she was gonna be a cop. Now.. I'd known this since she was 8 and had careers day at school. She came home that day, all excited, jabbering on about some cop who had come in to talk to them, and how she was going to be one of them someday. As the years passed, I tried to get her interested in other aspects, other possible careers. Deep down, I always hoped it would be taken over with another dream. A safer one." Angela shrugged. "Needless to say, that never happened. So, the day she graduated from the Academy, I gave her that. St Michael."

"Patron saint of cops..." Maura whispered.

"That's right."

"She got in, you know. To BCU." She had no idea why it slipped out.

"I know."

The confession threw Maura off balance. "You know?"

"A mother _always_ knows, Maura."

Maura was confused. "Why didn't you insist she go?"

Angela raised a brow, giving her the signature Rizzoli 'really' look. Maura chuckled with understanding. "When have I ever been able to get Janie to do anything she doesn't want to do? Since the time she learnt how to walk, she's been determined to set her own path. Never mind who's stood in her way and far be it from me to stop her," came the quiet admission.

"I'm both glad and grateful you let her go ahead with her dream. Of becoming a cop." She put her hand over the other woman's. She wasn't used to this. She wasn't used to baring her soul to someone who wasn't Jane but in this instance, she wanted Angela to see that she had done right by her daughter in not quashing the young girl's dream, in all her children, by letting them choose their own paths, regardless of whatever qualms she may have had. If she had, she'd have never met the brunette or the rest of her family, or the friends she had gained in the process.

"You love her don't you?" The question caught Maura by surprise and she attempted to make eye contact with the woman before her in order to try and discern the reason behind the question but she had successfully averted her gaze to a corner of the cafe before she could even endeavor to do so.

"I do." The warmth that flooded through as soon she said those words was instantaneous. It felt amazing. It felt so right.

"So what are you still doing here?" She asked, her attention once more back on the ME.

Maura gave her a shy smile, knowing that this was her way of giving them her blessing. And for that, she was grateful beyond words.

"Angela..."

"I know. Go. Go get my Janie back."


	9. Chapter 9

**Just a short one before the finale!**

* * *

Chapter 9

Maura Isles stood outside the Detective's apartment door, rummaging through her purse for the set of keys Jane had given her for emergencies. While it wasn't an emergency per say in the sense that there was some sort of life-threatening situation, it was an emergency as far as she was concerned.

_Aha!_

Successfully finding her keys, she drew the set towards the door lock, inserted it, and turned, but just as she was reaching for the knob to push it open, she found herself catapulted forward as the door was thrown back, just narrowly avoiding a complete body plant on to one Frankie Rizzoli, who thankfully managed to catch her by the shoulders.

"Whoa! Sorry, there, Doc." He said, steadying the small woman. The blonde took a very un-Mauralike puff, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"Frankie. How nice of you to open the door. Without warning, no less." Frankie just stood there grinning. She sounded just like Jane. "What?"

"Oh, nothin'. Just...you sounded just like Janie then. Of all the things you had to pick up from her, it would be the sarcasm, wouldn't it?" She held back the subsequent eye roll she had been about to give, not wanting to give him any further ammunition for her torture as she recalled exactly why she had entered with haste.

"Speaking of," she said, brushing past him to hurry inside, eager to see the brunette. "Jane!" she called. Gving the living room as quick once over, she went inside and checked the bedroom, and the bathroom, all the while calling the brunette's name. But she was nowhere to be found. Distracted, as well as frustrated as to where the brunette may have disappeared to, she came back out to find Frankie standing awkwardly in the hall, Jo Friday in his arms. She took in the bags at his feet that contained the puppy dog's food, bowl, chew toys and bed, the more or less boxed up apartment where all signs of life were contained within small to medium square cardboard boxes and the fact that he seemed to be looking anywhere but her, and she knew.

"She's gone, isn't she?"


	10. Chapter 10

**It's late, I know! So I've made it longer! **

* * *

Chapter 10

Maura had never driven so fast, nor broken so many speed limits in her life, but now she found herself careering round corners, putting her foot down on gas pedals just to get through traffic lights before they hit red, and zig zagging in between cars. Oh, and she was sure she had been caught by at least one speed camera. Jane would be proud. Silently, she cursed Frankie and the way she had told her at the most inopportune of moments that the brunette had only left about 20 minutes ago, meaning that if she hurried, she could probably still catch her. The nerve of the man, she thought, stepping on the gas even harder as she swung into the lane leading to the airport.

_"She's gone, isn't she?" She knew the answer even before the question left her lips. Frankie himself stared awkwardly at his feet, not quite knowing what to say in response. "Frankie?"_

_He sighed despondently, answering, "Yes. Yes, she is."_

_Her legs wouldn't hold her up any longer and so, she collapsed on the floor in front of her, head in her hands as she wept. Frankie was alarmed. Never before had he seen the good doctor become so utterly decomposed and overwrought. This was exactly why he didn't have a relationship despite his Ma's urging and constant nagging about how she'll never see her grandchildren at the rate he was going. He looked down at Jo Friday whom he was still holding and who was looking at him rather accusingly as if to say, 'do something!' He put her down and she ran over to the woman who was still on the floor attempting to snuggle in and provide comfort. It only made her cry harder causing Jo to sit down at the side of her, one paw over her eyes. She whined pitifully at the impossible man before her thinking of how much she wished her owner was here because if she had been, she would have put a stop to the crying woman long time ago. Frankie ran a hand over his face, groaning internally before making his way over to her and placing a hand on her back in the hopes of providing some source of comfort and understanding. Gradually, the tears stopped till they became mere hiccups._

_"She'll be back, you know. She only got called away because it was an urgent case and they needed her help." That got her attention._

_"So she's coming back to move her stuff? Arrange a mover to collect it?"_

_"Well, no. She kinda asked if I could help her with that." He was genuinely grateful that she had prepared beforehand and packed everything up because it meant, he wouldn't have to do it. Though, he would have to tell their Ma, and god only knew how that was gonna go down. Not well at all. "But she'll be back for Jo Friday." He said it as a means to perk her up but it didn't seem to work as she continued to pick at the hem of her dress. "You love her, don't you?"_

_It was the second time in the course of less than an hour that she'd been asked that question. And for the second time, she said yes._

_"You know...you could call her. After all, her flight only leaves in about an hour's time. She must have only just got there roughly 10 minutes ago." At that, her head snapped up._

_"What?"_

_"She's still at the airport..." But his words fell on deaf ears. Maura was already out the door..._

* * *

Coming to a rather harried stop at the front of Logan airport, she put the car into park, slammed on the handbrake and dashed out of her car, purse in hand, ignoring the man who was very obviously shouting at her that she couldn't park her car there. Entering the departures area, she scanned the boards anxiously for the next flight leaving for Washington DC. Finding the flight in question, she was alarmed to see that the gate was open for boarding. That didn't give her much time.

She approached the next available counter, relieved to see the lack of a queue. The woman behind it smiled at her as she came up.

"Good afternoon, Ma'am, and how may I assist you?"

"I need to get on the flight that's leaving for DC now." The smile on the attendant's face faltered slightly.

"You do realize it's due to leave in about 20 minutes right? We won't be able to check in any luggage you may have, given the fact that it is being loaded onto the plane as we speak?"

"Yes, I know. It's just me. No luggage. Just me. I just need to speak to someone who's getting on that flight urgently. I'll pay for whatever seat you have available."

The woman tapped away, bringing up her records.

"We have one more in economy but it's all the way at the back." Maura grimaced at the thought of the lack of leg room in economy but beggars couldn't be choosers. Not today anyway.

"That's fine. It'll do."

"They must be very special," the woman said, giving her a well-meaning smile as Maura handed over her credit card to process the transaction.

"She is."

* * *

Maura weaved her way through the crowd people as she made her way to the gate with mere minutes to spare, her eyes searching for the familiar frame of the tall, lanky brunette. She almost wept on the spot when she spotted her.

"Jane!"

The Detective turned to see a very frantic Maura Isles tottering as fast as her five inch heels would carry her. Disbelief crossed her face followed by a whole host of other emotions; shock, surprise, complete and utter amazement. In fact, if she hadn't been so shocked, she would've laughed at the sight.

"Maur? What's wrong? Wh..." Jane's words were promptly cut off by the feel of the Doctor's lips on hers as her arms automatically curled round the smaller woman who pressed herself flush against her, arms snaking round her neck. Whatever questions that had been running through her head died on her lips as she felt the soft lips of Maura Isles on hers. And she was in heaven. The two women finally broke apart as the need for oxygen becoming too much for both. Drawing back, the ME fiddled with the Detective's collar, smoothing her hands down her uppers before eventually leaving them to settle on her forearms. She needed to say what she had come there for. And to do that, she needed a bit of distance, otherwise she'd be forever losing herself in Jane.

"I know I'm probably too late, what with you having accepted this job and everything but I don't want to spend the next however many years weighed down with regret at what could have been, for not having come after you, for not having told you how I feel, for not saying 'I love you too'. Because I do. Love you. And if this job is what you want, then I'll come with you. If you'll have me. I was so stupid for not telling you earlier because I couldn't fathom losing you. I kept thinking that if we were somehow in a relationship, and it were to fall apart, I wouldn't be able to go through losing you because not only would we no longer be together but we'd no longer be friends either, and I couldn't bear the thought of that happening. But when you told me about the new job, you took me by surprise and I found myself realizing that I was set to lose you anyway, and that hurt more. I don't know why, it just did. But I love you, Jane Rizzoli," she said fiercely, "I love you, I love you, I- mmphh." And this time, it was the blonde who found herself cut off, Jane's mouth crashing against hers. And she was lost. In the wave of emotion, in the feeling of those lips against hers, in the beating of her heart as it raced in time with the brunette's with every touch. There was nothing soft or gentle about it. It was equal amounts demanding and loving, years worth of pent up frustrations yet impassioned and reverent.

It was perfect.

Her hand snaked into the Detective's curls, pulling her impossibly closer. Feeling Jane's tongue against her bottom lip asking for entrance, she opened up, tongues battling for dominance. The clearing of a throat drew them both out of their love impassioned haze and they broke apart, glancing in the direction of the noise.

To the side of them stood a very embarrassed-looking airline staff. She gave them a sheepish look as if apologizing for having interrupted their moment.

"Boarding passes, please." From the corner of her eye, Maura caught some very enthusiastic passengers who had gotten caught at the end of the line in the process of boarding grinning from ear to ear at the both of them. She groaned softly, burying her head in the crook of the brunette's neck, her arms having never let go.

"Maur?" The gravelly intonation of Jane's voice reverberated in her chest where Maura's ear was, sending shivers down her spine. She pulled back slightly not wanting to be out of the brunette's hold. Looking towards the direction in which Jane surreptitiously shook her head, her gaze swiveled from that beautifully chiseled face to the one of the airport staff who was seemingly still waiting for an answer.

"Oh!" She dropped her arms from the brunette's neck as she fished around for her boarding pass in her purse.

"Maur...what are you doing?"

"I'm getting my boarding pass, Jane," she said, as if stating the obvious until it occurred to her. Her head snapped up. "Unless of course...you don't..." she couldn't find the strength to get the words out, not wanting to believe that she was too late, that perhaps...this was it for them, that Jane had had enough.

Jane eyed the ME carefully.

"What about your job?"

She let herself breathe. _Perhaps_ that wasn't it at all.

"I can work anywhere," came the simple response. "Of course, I'd have to find a replacement but it shouldn't be much trouble and, oh! We'll have to find somewhere that's big enough for the two of us, or we could always ask the FBI for slightly larger accommodations..." She was ever so slightly aware that she was jumping the gun a bit. And making assumptions in the process. Thought of the latter made her hyperventilate slightly, uncertainty hitting her from all directions. The sound of a deep throaty chuckle brought her back to the present. Finding brown orbs on hers and a small smile curling on the brunette's lips that she had been kissing with fervor only moments ago, Maura blushed.

"Already with the U-Haul huh, Maur?" The blank look on the ME's face was enough to make Jane laugh softly. Of course she wouldn't know the reference, she thought to herself. Directing her attention to the ever-patiently waiting woman, "I think our plans have changed." The woman nodded, giving them a small smile before going over to close the doors and inform the pilot that their passenger list would be less two. Maura blinked at the sudden turn of events.

"Jane?" she questioned.

"Hmmm?" she said, slinging an arm round the ME's shoulders, guiding them back the way they had come. Maura's arm snaked round her Detective's waist, the thought of being able to call Jane hers hitting her hard. She looked up into the face she loved so much.

"What about your job? The promotion you applied for at the FBI? Wasn't it what you've always wanted? You told me once that apart from getting into homicide, you had always dreamed about going to work for the Feds somewhere down the road."

Jane shrugged. "Dreams change. Besides, I have everything I want right here."

* * *

**Et voila! The End! You all got your Rizzles ending in the end. To be honest, it's always been Maura and Jane all the way for me, and whilst I couldn't bear the thought of separating them States over, I was of the opinion that this story was starting to reach it's closure. And what better way to do so?**

**Thanks once again for all the reviews and your lovely support. You've all been wonderful sticking with me throughout. And to those of whom I didn't manage to reply to, I apologize. I know there are a couple who got lost in the works which I will try and go back and find. In the meantime, I will be concentrating on my other stories like Sixteen Again. Oh, and for those of you who read Post-Its, there's something already in the works for that too!**

**Stay awesome guys!**


End file.
